Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

James Skinner (1778 – 4 December 1841) was an

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The ''Oxford English ...

soldier of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shi ...

and the

Bengal Army The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Govern ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. He became known as ''Sikandar Sahib'' later in life, and is most known for two cavalry regiments he raised for the British at

Hansi Hansi, is a city and municipal council in Hisar district in the Indian state of Haryana. It appears that at one time Hansi was larger, more prosperous and more important than Hisar. The town has several important buildings of archeological import ...

in 1803, known as 1st Skinner's Horse and

3rd Skinner's Horse The 3rd Skinner's Horse was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was originally raised at Hansi by Lt.-Col. James Skinner as the 2nd Regiment of Skinner's Horse in 1814, the various changes and amalgamations are listed below. *18 ...

(formerly 2nd Skinner's Horse), which are still units of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

. Fluent in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, the court and intellectual language of India in his day, Skinner composed several works in the language, including an extensively illustrated manuscript ''Kitāb-i Tashrīḥ al-Aqvām'' (History of the Origin and Distinguishing Marks of the Different Castes of India), now held by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Early life

Skinner was born in 1778 in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

(now

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

), India. His father was Lieutenant-Colonel Hercules Skinner ( – 12 July 1803), an officer in the East India Company Army of Scottish origin. Skinner claimed that his mother Jeany was an Indian aristocrat, daughter of a

zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

. She was taken prisoner at the age of fourteen, and came under the care of his father, then an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

, who treated her with much regard. Subsequently, they had seven children, two girls and five boys, Joseph, James, Hercules, Alexander, Thomas, Louisa and Elizabeth.Now St. James's Church in Kashmere Gate is the oldest church in Delhi
''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'', Monday, 5 March 2007.MEMORIES...
Army Children Archive (TACA).''Sikander Sahib: The Life of Colonel James Skinner, 1778-1841'', London, 1961, ''pp.213-14.'' When he was 12 years old, his mother Jeany committed suicide, because her daughters were sent to a school for children of mixed heritage. Skinner was first educated at an English school in Calcutta, and then in 1794 sent to a boarding school. Colonel James Skinner CB, 1st Regiment of Local Horse, 1836

Colonel James Skinner CB, 1st Regiment of Local Horse, 1836

Skinner's Horse party, in a folio from 'Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi’, an album by Thomas Metcalfe, 1843

Career

His father originally apprenticed him to a printer in Calcutta but hating the life he ran away after three days. Because of his Indian heritage, Skinner was unable to serve as an officer in the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

army and, at the age of sixteen, he entered the

Maratha The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...

army as an ensign under

Benoît de Boigne Benoît Leborgne (24 March 175121 June 1830), better known as Count Benoît de Boigne or General Count de Boigne, was a military adventurer from the Duchy of Savoy, who made his fortune and name in India with the Marathas. He was also named presid ...

, the French commander of Maharaja

Scindia The Scindia dynasty (anglicized from Shinde) is a Hindu Maratha dynasty of maratha origin that ruled the erstwhile State of Gwalior. It had the Patil-ship of Kumberkerrab in Wai. It was founded by Ranoji Scindia, who started as a personal servan ...

's forces of

Gwalior State Gwalior state was a semi-autonomous Maratha state. It was centred in modern-day Madhya Pradesh, arising due to the rise of the Maratha Empire and fragmentation of the Mughal Empire. It was ruled by the House of Scindia (anglicized from Shinde) ...

. Boigne was impressed by his family ancestry, Skinners having served

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

in the 11th century. Once taken in, Skinner soon showed military talent. He remained in the same service under

Pierre Cuillier-Perron Pierre Cuillier-Perron (1753 to 1755–1834), French military adventurer in India born Pierre Cuillier (or Cuellier) at Luceau near Château-du-Loir, the son of a cloth merchant. In India, he changed his name to Perron (a diminutive of Pierre). He ...

, who became commander-in-chief of Sindhia's army after Boigne's retirement, until 1803, when, on the outbreak of the

Second Anglo-Maratha War } The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805) was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. Background The British had supported the "fugitive" Peshwa Raghunathrao in the First Anglo-Maratha War, ...

, all Anglo-Indians were dismissed from Maratha service. Portrait of Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of the Punjab, 1830

Eventually he joined the

of the East India Company where

Lord Lake Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake (27 July 1744 – 20 February 1808) was a British general. He commanded British forces during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and later served as Commander-in-Chief of the military in British India. Background He was ...

had become Commander-in-Chief of

in 1801. Subsequently, on 23 February 1803, Skinner raised a regiment of irregular cavalry called "

Skinner's Horse The 1st Horse (Skinner's Horse) is a regiment of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. It traces its origins as a cavalry regiment from the times of the East India Company, followed by its service in the British Indian Army and finally, afte ...

" or the "Yellow Boys" because of the colour of their uniform.1st Horse / Skinner’s Horse
''

Global Security GlobalSecurity.org is an American nonpartisan, independent, nonprofit organization that serves as a think tank, and research and consultancy group. Focus The site is focused on national and international security issues; military analysis, syste ...

''."Eight hundred men on horses offered their services on one condition-they wished to be led by James Skinner." Later it became a famous regiment of

light cavalry Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was primarily rai ...

in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

and still exists today as part of the

. Commanding his regiment of irregular cavalry in 1805 he was present at the

Siege of Bharatpur The siege of Bharatpore was a siege that took place in the Indian princely state of Bharatpur (now part of Rajasthan) between December 1825 and January 1826. British troops under Lord Combermere initially surrounded the state's capital until ...

and took part in the Pindari War (1817–18). For his services he was granted a ''

jagir A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, start ...

'' of

(

Hisar district Hisar district is one of the 22 districts of Haryana, India. Hisar city serves as the district headquarters. Hisar district has four sub-divisions that is, Hisar, Barwala, Hansi and Narnaud, each headed by an SDM. The district is also part of H ...

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...

), yielding Rs 20,000 a year. In 1828, Skinner was finally given the rank of

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

in the British service, and his brother Robert that of major. Later James became a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, having already been appointed

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

on 26 December 1826.

Other works

Skinner had an intimate knowledge of the characters of the people of India, and his advice was highly valued by successive governor-generals and commanders-in-chief. He commissioned paintings in the

Company style Company style, also known as Company painting or Patna painting (Hindi: ''kampani kalam'') is a term for a hybrid Indo-European style of paintings made in India by Indian artists, many of whom worked for European patrons in the East India Company ...

on a large scale. Additionally, Skinner wrote a volume of memoirs in

of his military expeditions, titled ''Tazkirat al-umara'' which contained family biographies, of princely families in the Sikh and Rajput territories and 37 portraits of their current representatives. First translated from the original Persian by James Fraser.

St. James' Church

St. James' Church, also known as Skinner's Church, was commissioned by Skinner after he had vowed, while lying wounded in the battlefield of

Uniara Uniara is a town and a municipality in Tonk district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is a tehsil of the Tonk district. Geography Galwa dam, the eighth largest dam in Rajasthan, is three kilometers from Uniara. Uniara has major forest area ...

in 1800, to build one if he survived. It was built at his own expense and at a cost of Rs 95,000. Designed by Major Robert Smith it was built between 1826–36 to a cruciform plan, with three

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

ed porches and a central octagonal dome. It was consecrated on 21 November 1836 by the

Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated The Rt Revd, The Rt Rev'd, The Rt Rev.) is a style applied to certain religious figures. Overview *In the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church in Great Britain, it applies to bishops, except that ''The M ...

Daniel Wilson, the Bishop of Calcutta, making it the oldest church in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. Skinner is also reported to have built a temple and a mosque, though details of them are unknown. James Skinner tomb (St James, Delhi)

He had also lived at Jahaj kothi in Hisar after the defeat of Irish mercenary adventurer George Thomas ( – 22 August 1802). Skinner, while serving Maratha, had earlier fought against George Thomas. Skinner died at

(in

, Haryana), on 4 December 1841, at the age of 64. He was first buried in the Cantonment Burial Ground at Hansi and after a period of 40 days was disinterred, and his coffin brought to Delhi, escorted by 200 men of

. Subsequently, he was buried in Skinner's Church on 19 January 1842 in a vault of white marble immediately below the

Communion table Communion table or Lord's table are terms used by many Protestant churches—particularly from Reformed, Baptist and low church Anglican and Methodist bodies—for the table used for preparation of Holy Communion (a sacrament also called the '' ...

.Skinner's Tomb, St. Jame's Church, Delhi
''

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

''.

Personal life

All his three sisters married gentlemen in the East India Company's service, while his elder brother, David, went to sea, and his younger brother, Robert, also became a soldier.

Emily Eden Emily Eden (3 March 1797 – 5 August 1869) was an English poet and novelist who gave witty accounts of English life in the early 19th century. She wrote a celebrated account of her travels in India, and two novels that sold well. She was also a ...

, sister of Governor General George Auckland records in 1838 that Major Robert Skinner, was "the same sort of melodramatic character" as his elder brother and made a tragic end. Suspecting his wife of infidelity he killed several of his servants and then shot himself. It is said that James Skinner had fourteen wives and many children, one of whom was Mrs. Wagentreiber, who managed to escape the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

due to the fact that he was greatly revered by the Indian Army regiments. His eldest son, Hercules Skinner, was commissioned into the

Nizam's Contingent The Nizam's Contingent, later Hyderabad Contingent, was the army funded by the Nizam of Hyderabad, the ruler of a Princely state of India.http://www.indianarmy.gov.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTemp12PLM8C.aspx?MnId=l7m6i4kBQ6GVWWXGRMx4Yg&ParentID=RSk ...

; another son, James Skinner, became an officer in Skinner's Horse and was killed in action during the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War ( fa, جنگ اول افغان و انگلیس) was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Afghanistan, Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking si ...

. Many of his family members and their descendants are buried in Skinner's family plot, north of St. James' Church, Delhi.Herbert Compton ''A Particular Account of the European Military Adventurers of Hindustan'' (Unwin, 1893)
pp. 396–397
/ref> Skinner was a close friend of William Fraser, and was buried next to him in Skinner’s Church, and of his brother

James Baillie Fraser James Baillie Fraser (11 June 1783 – 23 January 1856) was a Scottish travel writer, and artist who illustrated and wrote about Asia Minor and India. Some of his watercolours made in the picturesque style represent early views of India and Per ...

, the author of ''Military Memoirs of Col. James Skinner'' (1851).

Descendants

A grandson is mentioned, also called James Skinner, who erected a statue of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

upon her death, at his own expense at

Chandni Chowk The Chandni Chowk, also known as Moonlight Square is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. It is located close to the Old Delhi Railway Station. The Red Fort monument is located at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk. It was bu ...

. In 1960, Lt-Col Michael Skinner, a great-great-grandson, took command of Skinner's Horse, and was the first Skinner to command the

regiment since its founder's death. In 2003, when a special service was held at St. James' Church, Delhi to commemorate 200 years of

, the cavalry regiment raised by Skinner in 1803, amongst those present was Patricia Sedwards (née Skinner), niece of Lt-Col Michael Skinner.Skinner's Horse... the memory lives on
''

'', Monday, 24 November 2003.

In popular culture

Vikram Chandra's debut novel, ''Red Earth and Pouring Rain'' (1995), was inspired by the autobiography of James Skinner. In 1979, Philip Mason published ''Skinner of Skinner’s Horse: a fictional portrait'', based upon Skinner's life.

Works

* *

References

External links

James Skinner
findagrave.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, James 1778 births 1841 deaths British East India Company Army officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Anglo-Indian people Indian memoirists British people in colonial India